Automobile-lock.



AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLICATION FIL ED NOV. I8, I916.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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PAUL JQSEPE COTE, 03? EB'URIQ'E, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

AUTQIVEOBILE-LOCK.

Application filed November 18, 1915. Serial No. 132,189.

To all w/ wmit may concern .1

Be it known that 1, PAUL Josnrn Corn, 2. subject of the IIingof GreatBritain, and a resident of the town of llburne, in the Province ofBritish Columbia, Canada,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automobile locks, and the objectof my in vention is to provide a simple, practical, and eliicientdeviceadapted for attachment to the steering column, the use of which enablesthe steering shaft to be locked to the steering column when the car isstationary, the front wheels being inclined to the right or left, as thecase may be, and thus prevent the wheels being brought into the straightahead position, thus rendering it impossible for the car to be drivenahead until the lock is withdrawn. A further object isto provide adevice of this nature which is very strong and capable of beingassembled in place with great facility, and which cannot be readilytampered with or destroyed.

I attain these objects by the construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view illustrating thepractical embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional view of the assembled device.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, the steering shaft and column being shown insection.

Fig. l is a detail view of the locking arm.

Similar figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

1 indicates the steering shaft of an auto mobile aiid 2 the steeringcolumn, while 8 indicates a clamp adapted to encircle the column and tobe rigidly secured thereto by rivets at passed through the lugs5 and 6of the clamp. Extending outwardly from the clamp at its upper end andparallel to each other are arms 7 and 8, and formed integrally with theclamp at its lower end and in alinernent with the arms 7 and 8 are lugs9 and 10. The arms 7 and 8 are provided with openings 11 and 12, theopenings 11 being adjacent the clamp body and the openings 12 beingadjacent the outer extremities of the arms.

13 indicates a pin secured into the lugs Specification of LettersPatent.

- has then to Patented Aug. is, rare.

9 and 10, on which pin is swin ably mounted the locking g arm 14:, theupper end of 'which moves between the arms 7 and 8 and is provided withan opening 15 which registers respectively with the openings 11 and 16indicates a pin secured into the inner face of the arm 14 and adapted topass into and through an opening 17, formed in and extending through theclamp body, the steerng column, and the steering shaft, as shown in Fig.2, when the wheels are inclined to one side, and which opening is formedafter the device is secured in place.

The manner in which the device is used and operates will be apparent, asit will be seen that the clamp 3, which is formed in two halves, may beplaced on the steering column in any suitable position and permanentlysecured thereto by the rivets 4 or any other suitable means. The opening17 be formed, and the position of that part ofi the opening whichextends through the steerin shaft is determined by the rule of the roadobtaining in the district in which the car is used. For instance, it theleft hand side of the thoroughfare is the proper side, then in stoppingthe car it will be drawn up to the curb with the wheels inclined to theleft, and it is with the-steering shaft in this position that theopening 17 is formed by drilling through the clamp body, the steeringcolumn, and the steering shaft so that it is continuous through thesethree elements only when the wheels are inclined the desired amount tothe left. The reverse is the case when the proper side is the right handside, as then the wheels are inclined the desired amount to-the right before drilling the opening 17 Now, the hole 17 bein formed, and thewheels inclined to the le lt or right, as the case may be, it will beseen that the locking arm 14: may be swung inwardly until the pin 16passes into the opening 17 and engages the steering column and thesteering shaft, the opening 15 then registering with the openings 11 inthe arms 7 and 8, so that the lockin arm and pin may be Ina-intained inthe loc ring position, that is, the inmost position, by means of astrong padlock, lndicated by the numeral 18 in Fig. 1., the shackle ofwhich passes through the openings 11 and 15, and is then locked by thedriver.-

As a very strong padlock can be used, and as the device itself can beplaced in a position where it is not readily accessible to breakingtools, it will be seen that it would be a very different operation todestroy the clined to the right or left, as the case may be, the car canneither be driven 0E nor towed, as, until the device is unlocked, thewheels cannot be brought into the straight ahead position, which canonly be done when the padlock is disengaged from the openings 11 and 15,when the arm 1% may be swung outwardly to carry the pin 16 clear of thesteering shaft and permit operation of the same. In the outmost positionof the arm 1 L the opening 15 registers with the openings 12 of the arms7 and 8, allowing the shackle of the padlock to be passed therethroughand locked, thus maintaining the arm 14 in its outmost position when thecar is running.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device of the class described comprising, a clamp member adaptedfor attachment to an automobile steering column and provided withoutwardly extending arms at its upper end having openings adjacent theirinner and outer ends and an arm swingably attached to its lower end,said arm being provided on its inner face with a projecting member andhaving an opening adjacent its upper end arranged to registerrespectively with either the inner and outer openings of the armsaforesaid when the arm is swung to itsinmost or ontmost positions.

2. A device of the class described comprising a clamp member connectedto the steering columnhaving an arm having orifices therein, a wedgeshaped arm swingably mounted on. the clamp having an enlarged eyeletdesigned to register with the orifices of the arm, and a curvedpin onthe noninclined face of the arm adapted to pass through the steeringshaft.

Dated at Vancouver, B. G, this 4th day of November, 1916.

PAUL JOSEPH COTE.

